Being drunk helped my career: Hoff

DAVID Hasselhoff thinks leaked video footage of him being drunk was good for his career.

The former Baywatch actor admits he was "devastated" when the 2007 clip depicting him lying shirtless and eating a burger while intoxicated first came to light, but he felt a "sense of calm" afterwards and can now appreciate how it strengthened his fan base and boosted his popularity.

He said: "It was a bit devastating in the beginning but I had a real sense of calm when everything came out. Because I had the respect and love of my daughters, mother and father. That's all I needed...

'And the support of everybody who maybe saw a bit of themselves in me. They liked the fact that I was able to get up.

"[Was it good for my career?] You know what? In the end ... yes and no. It killed a lot of endorsement deals, but it helped me break through into the internet. But I'm the lucky one. Just this morning I was reading about someone that didn't make it."

In 2006, David announced he was divorcing Pamela Bach - with who he has daughters Taylor, 21, and 19-year-old Hayley - after 16 years of marriage and the 59-year-old star revealed he lost much of the estimated (US) $100 million he made when Baywatch was sold around the world.

He told Live magazine: "We sold [Baywatch] for (US)$500 million, so ... I did well. It makes me feel good, having taken a lot of s**t for this name!